It is common practice to secure felt pads to the exposed surface of a sheet of glass, a mirror, and other surfaces of articles requiring protection during storage or shipment. In conventional practice, the tabs are removed from a carrier tape and applied to the surface of the article manually. The tabs are normally in the form of a felt pad having a pressure-sensitive adhesive normally attaching the tabs to a carrier tape. Two or more workmen are required for the purpose of removing and finger-pressing the tabs onto the surface of the article at spaced locations thereon.